Shards of Earth has everything I could want from a sci-fi book
Why Adrian Tchaikovsky’s space opera is a great read from every angle
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shards of Earth, which came out in 2021, is an excellent science fiction book. It falls definitively into the sub-genre of hard science fiction, putting a huge emphasis on the mechanics of the universe it exists in (the complexities of which are worth a blog post on their own).
But set aside from its incredible universe, this book is also a well-written story about relatable characters facing incredible challenges. I really enjoyed my time with it, for a few reasons that I’ve outlined below.
An engrossing plot with the highest of stakes
The plot of Shards of Earth is probably the single best reason to read this book. It’s set in the far future in space, involving both humanity and different alien civilizations facing an existential threat called the Architects. These beings are moon-sized creatures who can manipulate space to destroy and reshape planets in strange, spiraling shapes. The book begins decades after humanity barely escaped one war against these foes, and their potential return hangs over everything that unfolds.
I don’t want to get too far into the specifics of the story. I don’t want to spoil anything and Tchaikovsky is a far better storyteller than I. But I will say this — the ways that both humans and alien races interact with each other and the threat of the Architects is fascinating. The plot moves pretty quickly for the most part, but there was enough tension and intrigue to keep even the slower sections interesting.
It’s impossible not to think of Mass Effect¹ when writing about Shards of Earth. Both stories deal with genocidal alien groups, desperate fights for survival, and political conflicts that threaten humanity’s effort to put up an organized front against its enemies. I love books with high stakes, and that’s a core element of this novel. Of course, those stakes have to meaningfully impact the plot to be relevant, but Tchaikovsky easily succeeds here as well.
The characters and dialog are also a high point
In addition to the larger, galaxy-wide story, the interactions between individual characters are also well-written and engaging. I was surprised that Shards of Earth did so well in this area, because I felt that was a weak point of Children of Time and Children of Ruin², the other two books by Tchaikovsky that I’ve read. These two books are both excellent, but I felt their success came more from plot and world-building than characters (which I’m open to discussion about, should others feel differently).
The human groups in Shard of Earth are far from homogenous. There are hyper-military sects, people who are loyal to alien civilizations, people who hate alien civilizations, and people who just want to be left alone. Throughout the story that unfolds, we’re introduced to characters from all sects. The non-human civilizations have their own interests and motivations as well, which are explored in slightly less depth (but still enough to be interesting).
Fun to read
I think the previous section touches on this element, but it’s worth pointing out just how much fun Shards of Earth is to read. The writing is strong, each scene helps move the plot forward, and the descriptions of the various worlds (and there are many) are fascinating. This is a deeply detailed book, and there’s a lot of exposition. However, I felt (and this may just be my subjective opinion) that the exposition was organic and well-woven into the larger story. I never felt burdened by having to remember to various alien species and locations.
There’s also a timeline and appendix at the back of the book, which were both exceedingly helpful. As a history nerd, I found the timeline just fun to page through even if I wasn’t trying to remind myself of a key plot point. In any case, Tchaikovsky went out of his way to make sure that readers could get the information they need.
This is book one of a series, with the next one planned to come out this spring. I picked a good time to read Shards of Earth, because I already can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
Notes
¹ The narrative of the Mass Effect games (which I’ve recently discovered) is also fantastic and worth exploring on its own.
²These two novels also deal with humanity in the far future, but are primarily about different sentient species that are loosely based on earth animals. They’re great books, but vastly different that Shards of Earth in both subject and tone.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
